The Connellys of County Down

June 5, 2023
In Lange’s moving latest (after We Are the Brennans), family secrets threaten to upend a recent parolee’s new life in Port Chester, N.Y. Released from prison after serving 525 days for transporting stolen opioids, Tara Connelly moves in with her sister, Geraldine, who’s already putting up their brother, Eddie, and his young son. Tara needs their help, but her siblings have their own problems to deal with—Geraldine, an office manager at a payroll company, has fallen behind at work, and Eddie has migraines from a teenage car accident. Complicating Tara’s new life is a by-the-book parole officer, Doreen DaCosta, and Hank Doyle, a detective determined to use Tara to bring down her ex-boyfriend Roland Shea, the drug dealer whose pills she was caught with. A dangerous romance slowly blossoms between Tara and Brian Nolan, Hank’s nephew and fellow detective who feels guilty over Tara’s sentence, as he’d hoped to get her off in exchange for her cooperation. After Tara visits Roland, DaCosta grills her for violating her parole; revelations about Geraldine and Eddie further jeopardize her freedom. Tara is a flawed heroine worth rooting for and her romance with Brian an affecting one. Like Stewart O’Nan, the author conjures human moments with a convincing naturalistic style. This emotionally charged story delivers the goods. Agent: Stephanie Cabot, Susanna Lea Assoc.

June 15, 2023
Working-class siblings in Port Chester, New York, struggle to face down secrets and family demons. If the grown Connelly siblings confided in each other, there wouldn't be much of a plot for Lange's novel, which unfolds in the same Hudson Valley universe as her first book, We Are the Brennans (2021). But like many of us, instead of talking honestly, the troubled Connellys nurse grudges and hide their shame, though they're bound together by surviving a tough childhood (their mother, who loved to tell them fairy tales about her native Ireland, died young, and their criminal father abandoned them). Impetuous Tara, the youngest, has just been released from prison after an 18-month sentence for drug trafficking. She has moved in with her sister, Geraldine, a bookkeeper for a local business; their brother, Eddie, a single dad; and his young son, Conor. Returning to her old life has left Tara reeling, and the attentions of Brian Nolan, one of the detectives who arrested her, are unsettling. She knows she should hate him, but she's attracted instead. Brian's partner, who's also his uncle, is sure Tara will end up back in prison, but Tara isn't a criminal. She's got a secret, just like Eddie, who's still suffering the repercussions of a traumatic brain injury, and Geraldine, who is overwhelmed at work and shops to console herself. Lange offers a window into these messy, error-prone Connellys, understanding their flawed humanity and the fact that their Westchester community isn't merely a haven for wealthy commuters, but also an increasingly difficult place to live for working-class families. With compassion and insight, she explores the loyalties and frustrations that ebb and flow among siblings, especially those who have suffered trauma, and she reminds us that no matter how deep the wound, it's always possible to follow your heart. A compassionate look at family dynamics and a reminder that it's never too late to heal.

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July 1, 2023
Tara Connelly, a former teacher, has just been released from prison after serving 18 months for a drug charge. She moves back home to the New York City suburbs with her brother Eddie, Eddie's young son, and her sister Geraldine. Tara's return disrupts Geraldine's carefully controlled home, exacerbating stress from her job at a payroll company. Eddie has been dealing with health issues from a longago car accident but wants to carry his own burdens. On the periphery, Detective Brian Nolan, who put Tara in jail, can't quite forget about her. As Tara tries to rebuild her life, she thinks back to the stories her mother used to tell her, Eddie, and Geraldine about the adventures their family had back in County Down in Ireland. Upending all their lives, often for the better, the siblings learn how to lean on each other in times of crisis. Lange's strong followup to her debut, We Are the Brennans (2021), explores how family dynamics are both created and sustained.

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